On Wednesday, December 10, 2025, as part of the “IM Sogo” program for second-year students in the IM Course at Ritsumeikan Uji High School, we welcomed Mr. Tadayoshi Konishi as a guest speaker. Mr. Konishi was the first Japanese chef to be officially employed with pay at the world-renowned three-star French restaurant, Hôtel Ritz Paris.

10th Guest Speaker: Mr. Tadayoshi Konishi

Mr. Konishi, who concluded the second semester’s IM Sogo series as the 10th guest, has a remarkable career. In addition to his tenure at Hôtel Ritz Paris, he worked at the Osaka Expo in 1970 as a chef dispatched by the French government. After returning to Japan, he served as head chef at famous hotels and later transitioned into education as a kindergarten director, reflecting a richly diverse life path.

In his lecture, Mr. Konishi warmly shared stories of the many challenges he faced and how he remained positive in pursuit of his dreams. Particularly resonant with students were his repeated messages: “Live each day to the fullest” and “Value even the smallest 1mm of change.”

Among the seemingly miraculous stories he shared were episodes like how the savings he had accumulated over many years happened to match exactly the tuition fee for culinary school, or how job offers came just when he had resolved to pursue a particular role. However, Mr. Konishi described these not as coincidences but as “inevitable results.”

“Even the smallest daily efforts can bear fruit in unexpected ways. That’s why there’s no shortcut to miracles or luck—what matters most is to live each day mindfully and with intention.”

This message deeply moved the students. After the lecture, many students gathered around Mr. Konishi to ask questions and shake his hand, making for a passionate and memorable conclusion to the session.

Student Reflections and Learnings

Through the lecture, students reflected on Mr. Konishi’s life and applied those insights to their own dreams and life paths. Here are some of their impressions:

What is IM Sogo?

In the IM Course, all students spend one year abroad between their first and second years of high school. After returning, they participate in “IM Sogo,” a weekly class designed to help them reflect on their study abroad experiences and think about their future paths and aspirations.

With the slogan “Expand Your Horizons,” the second semester focuses on broadening students’ perspectives through new encounters and experiences. As part of this initiative, the program invites alumni and professionals from various fields to speak, providing students with valuable opportunities to reflect on their future from diverse angles.

Mr. Konishi’s talk served as a powerful and irreplaceable moment for students to reconsider what it means to “make a dream come true” and how to live each day with purpose.